Apparatus and method for adjusting a pedestal assembly for a reactor

ABSTRACT

The invention is directed to an alignment assembly for changing the relative position of a plate of a pedestal assembly with respect to a processing chamber of a reactor. The alignment assembly is connected at a first end to a riser shaft of the heating assembly and at a second end to a drive shaft. One or more portions of the alignment assembly may be selectively axially rotated or laterally moved change the relative position of the plate with respect to the processing chamber as desired.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/336,685, filed on Jul. 21, 2014; the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The present invention relates to a pedestal assembly having a risershaft extending from a plate. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to adjusting the riser shaft to change the positional propertiesof the plate. Specifically, the present invention relates to analignment assembly disposed between the riser shaft and a drive shaftfor use in changing the relative position of the plate of the pedestalassembly within a processing chamber of a reactor such that a moreprecise alignment, and uniform spacing can be made between the plate andthe internal walls of the reactor.

Background Information

Semiconductor fabrication processes are typically conducted with thesubstrates supported within a chamber under controlled conditions. Formany purposes, semiconductor substrates (e.g., wafers) are heated insidethe process chamber. For example, substrates can be heated by directphysical contact with an internally heated wafer holder or “chuck.”“Susceptors” are wafer supports used in systems where the wafer andsusceptors absorb heat from a heater.

Some of the important controlled conditions for processing include, butare not limited to, fluid flow rate into the chamber, temperature of thereaction chamber, temperature of the fluid flowing into the reactionchamber, and wafer position on the susceptor.

Heating within the reaction chamber can occur in a number of ways,including lamp banks or arrays positioned above the substrate surfacefor directly heating the susceptor or susceptor heaters/pedestal heaterspositioned below the susceptor. Traditionally, the pedestal styleassembly extends into the chamber through a bottom wall and thesusceptor is mounted on a plate of the pedestal assembly. The plate mayinclude a resistive heating mechanism enclosed within the plate toprovide conductive heat and increase the susceptor temperature.Alternatively, the system may provide for a heat lamp above the plate toheat the wafer from above within the reaction chamber.

The pedestal style assembly resembles a shaft extending from a diskwhich encloses the heating mechanism. The susceptor may be connected tothe disk and the wafer is placed in or on the susceptor, for example,within a wafer-shaped recessed area defined by the susceptor, or thewafer may reside in contact with the disk where the wafer pocket isformed into said disk. The pedestal may be rotated about the centrallongitudinal axis of the shaft to move the disk, susceptor, and waferaxially within the process chamber.

Rotation during processing facilitates an improved and more uniform heatand chemical dissipation upon the wafer disk. However, this processrequires the wafer to be concentric with respect to the process chamberas well as parallel with the chamber ceiling, at all rotational anglesof the riser shaft. The concentricity and parallelism tolerances areextremely small and critical for the proper application of heat andchemicals within the process chamber. Often a pedestal style heater doesnot conform to the required tolerances either through manufacturinginadequacies or through normal handling by parties subsequent to themanufacturing, such as inspectors, cleaning houses, and packers. Apedestal style heater which is not within the required tolerancesfacilitates both lateral runout of the wafer, where the parallelismbetween the wafer and the chamber ceiling changes while spinning, andradial runout of the wafer, where the wafer is not concentric within theprocess chamber while spinning. A technician can center the wafer withinthe chamber and set the wafer parallel to the chamber ceiling beforerotation, however, if the pedestal style heater is not within therequired tolerances, the wafer will experience lateral and/or radialrunout during axial rotation. Thus, there is a tremendous need in theart to compensate for pedestal style heaters which do not conform torequired tolerances, particularly with respect to the perpendicularitybetween the disk and the shaft.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention may provide a method of changing therelative position of a plate of a pedestal assembly with respect to aprocessing chamber of a reactor, the method comprising the steps of:connecting a riser shaft of the pedestal assembly to a first end of analignment assembly; connecting a drive shaft to a second end of thealignment assembly; and rotating a first portion of the alignmentassembly axially to change the relative position of the plate withrespect to the processing chamber.

In another aspect, the invention may provide a method of aligning apedestal assembly with a reactor, the method comprising the steps of:positioning a plate of the pedestal assembly in a processing chamber ofthe reactor, wherein a heating surface of the plate is disposed at anangle with respect to a showerhead surface of the reactor, and whereinan imaginary longitudinal central axis of the plate is spaced at adistance from an imaginary longitudinal central axis of the processingchamber; disposing a riser shaft of the pedestal assembly through anopening defined by the reactor, whereby a first end of the riser shaftis secured to the plate; connecting a second end of the riser shaft to afirst end of an alignment assembly; connecting a drive shaft to a secondend of the alignment assembly; and adjusting the alignment assembly tofacilitate one or both of decreasing the angle and decreasing thedistance.

Aspects and implementations of the disclosure presented here aredescribed below in the drawings and detailed description. Unlessspecifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in thespecification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, andaccustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts.The inventors are fully aware that they can be their own lexicographersif desired. The inventors expressly elect, as their own lexicographers,to use only the plain and ordinary meaning of terms in the specificationand claims unless they clearly state otherwise and then further,expressly set forth the “special” definition of that term and explainhow it differs from the plain and ordinary meaning. Absent such clearstatements of intent to apply a “special” definition, it is theinventors' intent and desire that the simple, plain and ordinary meaningof the terms be applied to the interpretation of the specification andclaims.

The inventors are also aware of the normal precepts of English grammar.Thus, if a noun, term, or phrase is intended to be furthercharacterized, specified, or narrowed in some way, then such noun, term,or phrase will expressly include additional adjectives, descriptiveterms, or other modifiers in accordance with the normal precepts ofEnglish grammar. Absent the use of such adjectives, descriptive terms,or modifiers, it is the intent that such nouns, terms, or phrases begiven their plain, and ordinary English meaning to those skilled in theapplicable arts as set forth above.

The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages will beapparent to those artisans of ordinary skill in the art from theDESCRIPTION and DRAWINGS, and from the CLAIMS.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more preferred embodiments that illustrate the best mode(s) areset forth in the drawings and in the following description. The appendedclaims particularly and distinctly point out and set forth theinvention.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate various example methods, and otherexample embodiments of various aspects of the invention. It will beappreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groupsof boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of theboundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that insome examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or thatmultiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, anelement shown as an internal component of another element may beimplemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore,elements may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front elevational view of a prior art pedestalassembly coupled with a drive shaft and partially disposed in a reactorwith parts cut away;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front elevational view of a pedestal assemblypartially disposed in a reactor with parts cut away and coupled with adrive shaft by way of an alignment assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged front elevational view of the alignmentassembly of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear elevational view thereof;

FIG. 5 illustrates a left side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 6 illustrates a right side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 7 illustrates a front elevational exploded view thereof;

FIG. 8 illustrates a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates a view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 illustrates a view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 illustrates a view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 illustrates a view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 illustrates a view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 ofFIG. 13;

FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 ofFIG. 13;

FIG. 16 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line 16-16 ofFIG. 13;

FIG. 17 illustrates a front elevational view similar to FIG. 2; and

FIG. 18 illustrates a front elevational view similar to FIG. 2.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present aspects and implementations may be described in terms offunctional block components and various processing steps. Suchfunctional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware or softwarecomponents configured to perform the specified functions and achieve thevarious results. For example, the present aspects may employ varioussensors, detectors, flow control devices, heaters, and the like, whichmay carry out a variety of functions. In addition, the present aspectsand implementations may be practiced in conjunction with any number ofprocessing methods, and the apparatus and systems described may employany number of processing methods, and the apparatus and systemsdescribed are merely examples of applications of the invention.

A device for use in improving the alignment between a processing chamberof a reactor and a pedestal or plate of a pedestal assembly is shown inFIGS. 2-18 and referred to generally herein as alignment assembly 1. Amethod of using alignment assembly 1 to improve the alignment between aprocessing chamber of a reactor and a plate of a pedestal assembly isshown generally in FIGS. 2-18. Various non-novel features found in theprior art relating to susceptor heating are not discussed herein. Thereader will readily understand the fundamentals of susceptor heating andwafer processing are well within the prior art and readily understood byone familiar therewith.

FIG. 1 illustrates a general state of the prior art with respect tosusceptor heaters. FIG. 1 illustrates a reactor 2, which defines aprocessing chamber 10 therein. Reactor 2 includes a plurality of walls14 generally surrounding processing chamber 10 and which may be moveableto allow a substrate or wafer 16 to be positioned within processingchamber 10. Specifically, wafer 16 is positioned on a susceptor orsubstrate support member 18, which rests upon a pedestal assembly 7.Pedestal assembly 7 includes a plate 8 and a riser shaft 24 extendingtherefrom. Susceptor 18 rests on a surface 19 of plate 8 which extendsgenerally horizontally within processing chamber 10. Susceptor 18 restson surface 19 to project wafer 16 towards a showerhead 20 having ashowerhead surface 15 which extends generally horizontally withinprocessing chamber 10. Plate 8 may envelop a heating mechanism (notshown) for providing a uniform heat distribution to susceptor 18 andultimately to wafer 16 as susceptor 18 and wafer 16 rest on plate 8.

Showerhead 20 includes various apertures (not shown) and features forselectively expelling a particular gas or gaseous mixture towards wafer16 when wafer 16 is positioned on susceptor 18 and susceptor 18 ispositioned on plate 8. It is strongly preferred in the art thatshowerhead surface 15 is precisely parallel with surface 19 to producethe most efficient chemical reaction between the gas or gaseous mixturebeing expelled from showerhead 20 toward the heated wafer 16 therebelow.Even a fraction of a degree off a perfect parallel spaced relationshipbetween showerhead surface 15 and surface 19 creates lateral runout or“wobble” as pedestal assembly 7 is axially rotated in accordance withprocessing wafer 16. Wafers 16 processed while experiencing lateralrunout produce much less usable material and increases overall waste inthe system. Oftentimes, the entire wafer is scrapped because of theelectrical issues which can be generated by the non-uniformity.

While not shown, the present invention is also suitable for use in across-flow reactor, where one side of the reactor includes an inlet andthe opposite side includes an exhaust. The gas or gaseous mixture isexpelled across the pedestal assembly 7 and wafer 16 from the inlet sideto the exhaust side to facilitate a chemical reaction with wafer 16.Cross-flow reactor processing also requires a precisely even surface 19with minimal lateral runout as pedestal assembly 7 is exposed to the gasor gaseous mixture.

Riser shaft 24 of heating assembly 7 extends from a first end 27proximate plate 8 through an opening 26 defined by wall 14 andterminates at a second end 28. Inasmuch as the reactor process requiresa perfectly parallel spaced relationship between showerhead surface 15and surface 19, the angle between riser shaft 24 and plate 8 ispreferably at a perfect right angle to align plate 8 parallel toshowerhead 20. A flange 29 is disposed at second end 28 of riser shaft24 and configured to be removably connected to a flange 30 disposed at afirst end 31 of a drive shaft 32. Drive shaft 32 is axially rotated by amotor or any other kind of rotation mechanism to impart axial rotationinto riser shaft 24 and plate 8 as needed during the processing of wafer16.

As shown in FIG. 2, riser shaft 24 is connected with plate 8 ostensiblyat a right angle around the circumference of riser shaft 24. However,often this perpendicular connection between riser shaft 24 and plate 8gets bumped out of precise alignment either in transit or duringinstallation. A misaligned and non-perpendicular connection provides anangle Θ₁ on one side of riser shaft 24 and an angle Θ₂ on the oppositeside, where Θ₂ is equal to 180°-Θ₁. The non-perpendicular connectionbetween riser shaft 24 and plate 8 propagates into a misaligned wafer 16by way of surface 19 moving out of parallel alignment with theshowerhead surface 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, processing chamber 10 includes an imaginary centralaxis 11 extending through the symmetrical center of processing chamber10. Axis 11 represents the precise center of processing chamber.Similarly, plate 8 includes an imaginary central axis 9. Axis 9represents the precise center of plate 8. It is extremely preferable tohave axis 11 precisely aligned with axis 9, indicating that wafer 16 isperfectly centered within processing chamber 10. Any offset between axis9 and axis 11 creates radial runout during the axial rotation of heatingassembly 7 by drive shaft 32. One will readily recognize that axis 11and axis 9 are misaligned in FIG. 2 due to a non-perpendicularrelationship between plate 8 and riser shaft 24. To illustrate, risershaft 24 includes an imaginary longitudinal central riser axis 39 anddrive shaft 32 includes an imaginary longitudinal central shaft axis 41.Riser axis 39 and drive shaft axis 32 are shown in FIG. 2 with aparticular orientation with respect to one another. Alignment assembly 1is configured to selectively change the orientation of riser axis 39 andshaft axis 32 to more closely align central axis 9 of plate 8 withcentral axis 11 of processing chamber 10 as well as more closely alignsurface 19 parallel to showerhead surface 15.

FIG. 2 illustrates the misalignment of plate 8 with processing chamber10 due to riser shaft 24 having a Θ₁ and Θ₂ which are not equal 90°. Assuch, imaginary central axis 9 is not aligned with imaginary centralaxis 11. Further, surface 19 is not parallel with showerhead surface 15.Thus, when pedestal assembly 7 having the relative angles between plate8 and riser shaft 24 shown in FIG. 2 is axially rotated withinprocessing chamber 10, substrate 16 rotates with both a radial runoutand a lateral runout. Inasmuch as the connection between riser shaft 24and plate 8 is permanent, alignment assembly 1 is provided to accountfor the misalignment and reposition plate 8 and substrate 16 into properalignment in processing chamber 10 and to minimize or neutralize bothradial runout and lateral runout of plate 8 with respect to processingchamber 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, alignment assembly 1 extends from a first end 3 to aspaced apart second end 4 and from a first side 5 to a second side 6.Alignment assembly 1 is generally comprised of a concentric adjustmentassembly 43 and an axial adjustment assembly 45. Alignment assembly 1 isconnected to riser shaft 24 proximate first end 3 and is connected todrive shaft 32 proximate second end 4. Concentric adjustment assembly 43includes a particularly shaped riser flange 42 permanently secured atsecond end 28 of riser shaft 24. While not part of concentric adjustmentassembly 43, drive shaft 32 also includes a particularly shaped driveflange 44 secured at first end 31 of drive shaft 32. In the illustratedembodiment of the present invention, riser flange 42 and drive flange 44are shown having a particular shape, however, in another embodiment,alignment assembly 1 may be disposed between standard and previouslyknown flanges either on riser shaft 24, drive shaft 32, or both. Flangesof this nature are shown in FIG. 1 as flange 29 and flange 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, axial adjustment assembly 45 is removably securedbetween riser flange 42 and drive flange 44. In the illustratedembodiment, axial adjustment assembly 45 includes three generallycircular plates abutting one another, namely, an upper plate 48, amiddle plate 50, and a lower plate 52. Axial adjustment assembly 45further includes a measurement indicia 54 having a series of spacedapart lines 58 with an upper portion 55 disposed on upper plate 48, amiddle portion 56 disposed on middle plate 50, and a lower portion 57disposed on lower plate 52, these line sets are commonly called avernier or vernier scale.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 8, and 14, riser flange 42 includes an annularcollar 60 extending from an annular lip 61. The exterior of riser flange42 is defined by a surface 62 and alternating projections 63 andrecesses 64. Each projection 63 defines a threaded channel 65 extendingfrom surface 62 through the respective projection 63. A set screw 66 isthreadably disposed within each threaded channel 65 and is movabletherein by way of axially rotating each set screw 66 with respect to thethreads of threaded channel 65. Riser flange 42 further includes asurface 67, a surface 68, and a channel 69 extending therebetween anddefined by each respective projection 63. Riser flange 42 furtherincludes a surface 70 which abuts an O-ring 71.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 9, and 14, upper plate 48 includes a collar 73having a surface 74 and a surface 72, which defines a channel 75. Whenriser flange 42 and upper plate 48 are secured together, O-ring 71 fitsinto channel 75 and provides an elastomeric seal between surface 70 ofriser flange 42 and surface 72 of upper plate 48. Upper plate 48 alsoincludes a surface 76 and surface 78 with a set of four threadedchannels 79 and set of four slots 80 extending therebetween. Upper plate48 further includes an outer surface 77 and an actuation recess 81defined therein. Upper plate 48 further defines an annular notch 82.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 10, and 14, middle plate 50 includes a collar 85extending upwardly from a surface 86. Collar 85 is sized tocomplementarily fit within annular notch 82 of upper plate 48 when upperplate 48 and middle plate 50 are secured together. Surface 86 and middleplate 50 define an annular channel 87 which is sized to receive anO-ring 88. When upper plate 48 and middle plate 50 are secured together,O-ring 88 provides an elastomeric seal between surface 78 of upper plate48 and surface 86 of middle plate 50. Middle plate 50 further includesan outer surface 89, a surface 90, and an annular notch 91. Middle plate50 defines a set of four threaded channels 92 interspersed with a set offour threaded channels 93. Middle plate 50 defines a set of fourthreaded channels 92 extending from surface 86 to surface 90 throughmiddle plate 50. Similarly, middle plate 50 defines a set of fourthreaded channels 93 extending from surface 86 to surface 90 throughmiddle plate 50. Each threaded channel 92 is disposed between threadedchannels 93 axially around middle plate 50. Middle plate 50 furtherdefines an actuation recess 94 extending therein.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 11, and 14, lower plate 52 includes a channel97. Channel 97 is sized to complementarily fit within annular notch 91when middle plate 50 and lower plate 52 are secured together. Lowerplate 52 further includes a surface 98. Surface 98 and lower plate 52define an annular channel 99 sized to receive an O-ring 100 therein.When middle plate 50 and lower plate 52 are secured together, O-ring 100provides an elastomeric seal between surface 90 of middle plate 50 andsurface 98 of lower plate 52. Lower plate 52 further includes an outersurface 101, a surface 102, and an annular notch 103. Lower plate 52defines a series of four slots 104 extending from surface 98 to surface102 through lower plate 52. Similarly, lower plate 52 defines a seriesof four threaded channels 105 extending from surface 98 to surface 102through lower plate 52. Each slot 104 is disposed between two threadedchannels 105 around the circumference of lower plate 52. Lower plate 52further defines an actuation recess 107 extending therein.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 12, and 14, drive flange 44 includes a collar110 extending upwardly from a surface 111. Collar 110 is sized to bereceived in annular notch 103 of lower plate 52 when lower plate 52 anddrive flange 44 are secured together. Drive flange 44 defines an annularchannel 112 which is sized to receive an O-ring 113 therein. O-ring 113provides an elastomeric seal between surface 102 of lower plate 52 andsurface 111 of drive flange 44 when lower plate 52 is secured to driveflange 44. Drive flange 44 further includes an outer surface 114disposed on a set of four projections 115 extending outwardly away fromcollar 110. Each projection 115 is disposed between recesses 116. Eachprojection 115 defines a slot 117 extending from surface 111 to asurface 118 (FIG. 16).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, a screw 125 is disposed in each channel 69and is received in the corresponding aligned threaded channel 79 ofupper plate 48 to secure upper plate 48 to riser flange 42. As shown inFIGS. 9 and 16, a screw 127 is disposed in each slot 80 of upper plate48 and receives into the corresponding threaded channel 93 of middleplate 50.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 10, 11, and 14, a screw 129 is disposed in eachslot 104 and received in the corresponding threaded channel 92 to securelower plate 52 to middle plate 50. As shown in FIGS. 3, 11, 12, and 16,a screw 131 is disposed in each slot 117 of drive flange 44 and receivedin the corresponding threaded channel 105 of lower plate 52 to securelower plate 52 to drive flange 44.

As shown in FIGS. 8-12, 14, and 16, middle plate 50 and lower plate 42are configured to axially rotate within alignment assembly 1. This isfacilitated by the general use of the aforementioned screws in theaforementioned slots working in conjunction to allow middle plate 50 toaxially rotate with respect to upper plate 48 and lower plate 52, aswell as allow lower plate 52 to axially rotate with respect to middleplate 50 and drive flange 44. As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 14, screws 125extend through channels 69 of riser flange 42 and into channels 79 ofupper plate 48. Channels 69 and channels 79 firmly hold upper plate 48against riser flange 42. As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 16, screws 127extend through slots 80 of upper plate 48 and into channels 93 of middleplate 50. The overall extended open nature of slots 80 as well as recess64 of riser flange 42 allow middle plate 50 to pivot axially withinalignment assembly 1 by way of slots 80. While screws 127 are firmlyheld within channels 193 of middle plate 50, the remaining portion ofscrews 127 moves within slots 80 to allow middle plate 50 to rotate. Asshown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 14, screws 129 extend through channels 92 ofmiddle plate 50 and slots 104 of lower plate 52. This correspondinglyallows middle plate 50 to rotate by providing slots 104 to allow screws129 to rotate along with middle plate 50. In a similar fashion, lowerplate 52 is also axially rotatable within alignment assembly 1 via thesame broad concept. Specifically, as previously discussed, screws 129extend into slots 104 of lower plate 52, which allows lower plate 52 topivot about screws 129. Correspondingly, as shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and16, screws 131 extend into channel 105 of lower plate 52 and slot 117 ofDrive flange 44. Slots 117 of drive flange 44 allows screw 131 to pivotabout the extended nature of slots 117 within drive flange 44 which inturn allows lower plate 52 to rotate through the entire length of slot117 via screw 131.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, the various screws of alignment assembly 1facilitate securing riser flange 42, upper plate 48, middle plate 50,lower plate 52, and drive flange 44 together while still providing anaxially rotatable mechanism for middle plate 50 and lower plate 52.Specifically, screws 125 secure riser flange 42 to upper plate 48,screws 127 secure upper plate 48 to middle plate 50, screws 129 securemiddle plate 50 to lower plate 52, and screws 131 secure lower plate 52to drive flange 44. Further, screws 125 secure riser shaft 24 toalignment assembly 1, while screws 131 secure drive shaft 32 toalignment assembly 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 through 6, upper plate 48, middle plate 50, andlower plate 52 include a non-uniform cross-sectional thickness. As shownin FIG. 3, when viewed from first side 5 to second side 6, thecross-sectional thickness of upper plate 48, middle plate 50, and lowerplate 52, changes and is non-uniform. As such, the surfaces betweenupper plate 48, middle plate 50, and lower plate 52 act as cam surfacesto one another and when axially rotated against one another, change theorientation between riser axis 39 and drive axis 41. A series ofactuation recesses are provided within each plate of alignment assembly1 to provide a simplified way to apply torque to each plate withinalignment assembly 1 and easily rotate the selected plate. A user simplyinserts a key or an elongated item into each actuation recess andmanually applies torque to the associated plate in the desireddirection.

With respect to lateral adjustment assembly 43, as shown in FIGS. 8, 13,and 15, set screws 66 may be actuated to change the lateral position,when viewed from the front, but is actually a concentric adjustment whenlooked at from the dynamics of rotation, of riser shaft 24 with respectto drive shaft 32. As shown in FIG. 13, threaded channels 65 aredisposed around the circumference of riser flange 42. The threadednature of threaded channels 65 complement the threaded nature of setscrews 66 and allow set screws to be screwed forwards and backwardswithin threaded channels 65A. As shown in FIG. 15, set screw 66B isdisposed in threaded channel 65B and may be rotated therein to move setscrew 66B towards surface 74 of collar 73 of upper plate 48. Similarly,set screws 66D disposed in threaded channel 65D may be rotated to moveset screw 66D forwards and backwards within threaded channels 65D andmay be moved towards surface 74 of collar 73 of upper plate 48. The usermay selectively rotate one or more set screws in such a manner as toabut surface 74 and laterally move the entire riser flange 42 laterallyalong with the abutment of the particular set screw 66. In this way,concentric adjustment assembly 43 may be selectively used to change theorientation between riser axis 39 and drive axis 41.

In operation, inasmuch as upper plate 48, middle plate 50, and lowerplate 52 include a non-uniform cross-sectional shape, the varioussurfaces of these elements interacting with one another may be thoughtof as camming surfaces for providing linear adjustment of riser axis 39via the axial movement of one or both of middle plate 50 and lower plate52. Ultimately, the axial movement of one or both of middle plate 50 andlower plate 52 may be used to more precisely align showerhead surface 15in a precise parallel relationship with surface 19. As shown in FIG. 17,Arrow A represents movement in a first axial direction, while Arrow Brepresents movement in a second axial direction. Prior to adjustment viaalignment assembly 1, the user installs pedestal assembly 7 into reactor2. Plate 8 of pedestal assembly 7 is disposed within processing chamber10 with riser shaft 24 extending through opening 26. This configurationdisposes second end 28 of riser shaft 24 proximate first end 31 of driveshaft 32. Inasmuch as riser flange 42 is preferably permanently attachedto second end 28 of riser shaft 24, the user may have previously weldedor otherwise permanently secured riser flange 42 onto riser shaft 24.Similarly, pedestal assembly 7 may come pre-manufactured having riserflange 42 manufactured already permanently secured to riser shaft 24.Riser flange 42 is secured to upper plate 48 by way of screws 125extending through channels 69 and being received into channels 79. Thisremovably secures riser flange 42 to upper plate 48. Upper plate 48,middle plate 50, and lower plate 52 are secured together by way ofscrews 127 extending through slots 80 of upper plate 48 and beingreceived within channels 93 of middle plate 50. Likewise, screws 129extend through slots 104 of lower plate 52 and are received withinchannels 92 of middle plate 50. The user then secures flange 44 of driveshaft 32 to lower plate 52 by way of screws 131. Screws 131 extendthrough slots 117 of flange 44 and are received within channels 105 oflower plate 52 to secure alignment assembly 1 to drive shaft 32.Recesses 64 of riser flange 42 are provided to create space for screws127 without connecting screws 127 to riser flange 42. Likewise, recesses116 of drive flange 44 are provided to create space for screws 129without connecting screws 129 to drive flange 44. As shown in FIG. 17, akey 133 may be provided which is sized to be received within any of theactuation recesses, namely actuation recess 81, actuation recess 94, andactuation recess 107, for use in helping the user axially rotate theselected plate in either first axial direction or second axialdirection.

As shown in FIG. 7, given the non-uniform cross-sectional shape of upperplate 48, surface 78 acts as a cam surface with respect to surface 86 ofmiddle plate 50. Likewise, given the non-uniform cross-sectional shapeof middle plate 50, surface 86 of middle plate 50 acts as a cam surfacewith respect to upper plate 48. Similarly, surface 90 of middle plate 50acts as a cam surface against surface 98 of lower plate 52. Likewise,given the non-uniform cross-sectional shape of lower plate 52, surface98 acts as a cam surface with middle plate 50. The cross-sectional areasof upper plate 48, middle plate 50, and lower plate 52 are configuredsuch that alignment assembly 1 may be positioned in a home positionwhereby the various surfaces of upper plate 48, middle plate 50, andlower plate 52 abut to correspondingly provide a straight and non-angledalignment between upper plate 48, middle plate 50, and lower plate 52.The home position is illustrated in FIG. 17 and is indicated to the userwhen upper portion 55, middle portion 56, and lower portion 57 ofmeasurement indicia 54 are aligned in the manner shown in FIG. 3. When auser wishes to alter the alignment between upper plate 48, middle plate50, and lower plate 52, which correspondingly changes the orientationbetween riser axis 39 and drive axis 41, the user simply inserts key 133into any of the desired or convenient actuation recesses, namelyactuation recess 81, actuation recess 94, or actuation recess 107, andturns the associated plate in either the first axial direction or thesecond axial direction. For example, the user may wish to move middleplate 50 in the first axial direction. Pursuant to this, the userinserts key 133 into actuation recess 94 and rotates middle plate 50 inthe direction of Arrow A (FIG. 17). Middle portion 56 of measurementindicia 54 provides visual feedback to the user as to how far middleplate 50 is turned in the first axial direction with respect to upperplate 48 and lower plate 52. Axial rotation of middle plate 50 camssurface 86 of middle plate 50 against surface 78 of upper plate 48. Thiscamming between upper plate 48 and middle plate 50 alters theorientation between riser axis 39 and drive axis 41. Measurement indicia54 may be correlated to provide angular feedback with respect to theorientation of riser axis 39 and drive axis 41. Measurement indicia 54may even be correlated to a third party measurement device which may beused to determine the corrections in angles needed to improve therotational concentricity between processing chamber 10 of reactor 2 andplate 8 of pedestal assembly 7 disposed therein. This device may rest onsurface 19 of heater element 8 to determine how far one of middle plate50 and lower plate 52 must be turned to provide a more beneficialorientation of pedestal assembly 7. For example, each line 58 withinmeasurement indicia 54 may correlate to one degree of angular changes ofheating assembly 7 within processing chamber 10. More particularly, eachline 58 may correlate to one degree or another measurement mechanism ofangular changes between showerhead surface 15 and surface 19.

Turning our attention to FIG. 18, the user may wish to change thelateral placement of riser axis 39 with respect to drive axis 41 tocorrect concentricity. As such, a key 135 is provided which fits withinthreaded channels 65 to actuate set screws 66 therein. The user insertskey 135 into the desired threaded channel 65 and moves key 135 in thedirection of Arrow C to move set screw 66 either towards surface 74 ofupper plate 48 or away from surface 74 of upper plate 48. As describedabove, set screw 66 may be rotated in such a way that set screw 66firmly abuts surface 74 of upper plate 48 and pushes riser flange 42 andriser shaft 24 in the respective lateral direction. Once the useradjusts the lateral direction of riser flange 42 as desired, preferablythe user inserts key 135 in the remaining threaded channels 65 toactuate the remaining set screws 66 to firmly abut surface 74 of upperplate 48 and firmly secure riser flange 42 to upper plate 48.

Inasmuch as alignment assembly 1 may be adjusted laterally via lateraladjustment assembly 43 or angularly via axial adjust assembly 45,alignment assembly 1 may be used to improve the rotational concentricitybetween processing chamber 10 of reactor 2 and plate 8 of pedestalassembly 7 disposed therein. As described above, actual rotation ofmiddle plate 50 and/or lower plate 52 changes the orientation betweenriser axis 39 and drive axis 41, which in turn may reduce the anglebetween plate 8 and showerhead 20, which provides a more parallelrelationship between showerhead surface 15 and surface 19. Likewise,riser flange 42 may be moved in a lateral direction to improve thecentering of plate 8 within processing chamber 10 by reducing thedistance between axis 9 and axis 11. As such, alignment assembly 1 maybe used to reduce or eliminate both radial runout of plate 8 and lateralrunout of plate 8 with respect to processing chamber 10.

The particular implementations of alignment assembly 1 shown anddescribed herein are illustrative of the invention and its best mode andare not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the aspects andimplementations in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity,conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and otherfunctional aspects of the system may not be described in detail.Furthermore, any connecting lines shown in the various figures areintended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physicalcouplings between the various elements. Many alternative or additionalfunctional relationship or physical connections may be present in thepractical system, and/or may be absent in some embodiments.

As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any variationthereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such thata process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises alist of elements does not include only those elements recited, but mayalso include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinationsand/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements,applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in thepractice of the present invention, in addition to those not specificallyrecited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specificenvironments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or otheroperating requirements without departing from the general principles ofthe same.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

While the present invention has been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understoodthat other similar embodiments may be used or modifications andadditions may be made to the described embodiment for performing thesame function of the present invention without deviating there from.Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any singleembodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance withthe recitation of the appended claims.

1. An alignment assembly adapted to connect a riser shaft of a pedestalassembly to a drive shaft, wherein the riser shaft includes alongitudinal central riser axis extending through the center of theriser shaft, and wherein the drive shaft includes a longitudinal centraldrive axis extending through the center of the drive shaft, thealignment assembly comprising: an axial adjustment assembly having afirst portion, and wherein selective axial rotation of a first portionof the axial adjustment assembly changes the orientation of the riseraxis with respect to the drive axis.
 2. The alignment assembly of claim1, wherein the first portion includes a non-uniform cross-sectionalthickness.
 3. The alignment assembly of claim 2, wherein the axialadjustment assembly further includes a cam surface on the first portionand a second portion, and wherein selective axial rotation of the firstportion cams the cam surface of the first portion against the secondportion to change the orientation of the riser axis with respect to thedrive axis.
 4. The alignment assembly of claim 1, wherein the axialadjustment assembly defines an actuation recess adapted to removablyreceive a key therein.
 5. The alignment assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising a lateral adjustment assembly, wherein the selective lateralmovement of a third portion of the lateral adjustment assembly changesthe orientation of the riser axis with respect to the drive axis.
 6. Thealignment assembly of claim 5, wherein the third portion of the lateraladjustment assembly is a riser flange secured to the riser shaft, andwherein the axial adjustment assembly is connected to the riser flange.7. The alignment assembly of claim 5, wherein the lateral adjustmentassembly further includes a screw disposed in a channel defined by theriser flange, and wherein rotation of the screw actuates lateralmovement of the riser flange.
 8. The alignment assembly of claim 1,further comprising: an axial adjustment assembly; and wherein theadjustment assembly is a concentric adjustment assembly.
 9. Thealignment assembly of claim 8, wherein the concentric adjustmentassembly includes: a riser flange at an end of a riser shaft that is notpart of the concentric adjustment assembly.
 10. The alignment assemblyof claim 8, wherein the axial adjustment assembly includes: threegenerally circular plates abutting one another.
 11. The alignmentassembly of claim 8, wherein the axial adjustment assembly furtherincludes: measurement indicia having a series of spaced apart lines withan upper portion disposed on an upper plate, a middle portion disposedon a middle plate, and a lower portion disposed on a lower plate.
 12. Anapparatus adapted to be connected to a drive shaft, the apparatuscomprising: a plate, wherein the plate includes a surface and alongitudinal central axis; a riser shaft secured to the plate; analignment assembly having a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end of the alignment assembly is configured to connect to theriser shaft, and wherein the second end of the alignment assembly isconfigured to connect to the drive shaft; and wherein the alignmentassembly selectively adjusts the orientation of one or both of thesurface and the longitudinal central axis.
 13. The apparatus of claim12, wherein the alignment assembly includes a first portion and a secondportion.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one or both of the firstportion and the second portion includes a non-uniform cross-sectionalthickness.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one or both of thefirst portion and the second portion includes a cam surface.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein axial rotation of one of the firstportion and the second portion selectively adjusts the orientation ofthe surface.
 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein lateral movement ofone of the first portion and the second portion selectively adjusts theorientation of the longitudinal central axis.
 18. The apparatus of claim12 wherein the alignment assembly comprises a vernier scale whichprovides feedback of axial adjustment.
 19. The apparatus of claim 12further comprising a reaction chamber in which the plate is disposed;wherein the alignment assembly provides alignment at least one of (a)within the reaction chamber and (b) outside the reaction chamber.